A cycle rack of the aforementioned is illustrated in FIG. 1, with the cycle rack including a ball 1 of a towing hitch of an automobile. The two protruding arms 2A and 3A for carrying at least one bicycle or for supporting skis vertically are located on the upper portion of the V-shaped branches 3 and 4. The lower ends of the skis are supported by a basket shaped supporting means (not shown) attached to the lower portion of the cycle rack.
This type of cycle rack has the disadvantage that it may be necessary to manufacture and market more than just one size of the cycle rack for practical reasons. This disadvantage is not caused by various sizes of bicycles or skis, but is caused by the size of the ball hitch. The dimensions of the ball should comply with a world-wide-accepted, one-size-standard ball hitch which includes a minimum and maximum dimensional tolerance resulting from manufacturing deviations when producing the ball. Nevertheless, the tolerance of the ball hitch is not sufficiently strictly observed everywhere although the ball size is world-wide-accepted.
Additionally, a certain amount of wear of the ball also must be taken into account.
The prior art of FIG. 1 further comprises V-shaped oblique branches 2, 3 which include protruding and projecting carrying arms 2A and 3A at upper ends of the V-shaped oblique branches adapted to carry at least one bicycle, a pair of skis or other lengthy object. Connecting means 71 to maintain spacing between the branches 2 and 3 are located at the lower portion of the V-shaped carrying branches 2 and 3 in which connecting link means 7 permit swinging or pivoting about pivot points 71 and 72 of one branch with respect to the other branch. Two gripping and holding means 8A and 8B are located below the connecting link means and are mounted at the lower end of the V-shaped oblique branches 2 and 3. When the lower ends of the V-shaped oblique branches 2 and 3 are opened in a direction away from each other, the two gripping and holding means 8A and 8B are moved away from each other so that each of the gripping and holding means can clamp the ball 1 at diametrically opposite sides of ball 1 which is mounted to a towing hitch located at the rear of an automobile for towing a trailer or caravan behind the automobile. The gripping and holding means 8A, 8B can be brought to be a seated fitted position by the tensioned closing of the lower ends of the carrying branches 2 and 3 on the ball 1 and safely holding the rack in position thereupon enabling the rack to carry bicycles, skis and other lengthy objects when it is fittingly positioned on the ball 1. An upwards facing open basket-shaped means (not shown) located at the lower portion of branches 2 and 3 near the link means and below the carrying arms 2A and 3A supports the lower ends of the lengthy objects such as skis to be carried. The objects are vertically supported within the rack at a higher portion of the branches 2, 3 against the carrying arms 2A and 3A. A rack for carrying bicycles can thus easily be equipped so it carries long objects such as skis.
The branches 2 and 3 are mutually held in a closed position by a toggle joint means which includes two parallel link arms 4, 5 which in the closed position provides stretch and tension between branches 2 and 3. A locking and holding mechanism 6 is located near the middle of the toggle joint means in a stretched and tensioned position. After closing this locking and holding mechanism, the toggle joint means can be opened by an upward movement of the holding mechanism of the toggle joint means with the tension position being changed to an open position. The upper ends of the arms 4 and 5 are moved towards each other, and the holding mechanism 6 is pulled upwards by the handle portion 6H. An opening 40 is for insertion of an additional securing pin. The bearings 41 and 51 are provided for enabling the pivotal movement of the branches 2, 3. A pivot 45 connects the two arms 4 and 5.
The toggle joint means provides tension between branches 2 and 3 at bearings 41 and 51 thereby enabling the lower portions of branches 2, 3 through holding means 8A and 8B to squeeze different sized balls which exhibit somewhat different dimensions.